Changing the Past
by KateTheNinjaTurtle
Summary: When one turtle dies, another wishes he could bring him back. One day, he finds a necklace that leads him and his brothers to a group of people called The Gifted, who tell them that the necklace will let them travel through time, but at a terrible price. Determined to bring their brother back, they embark on a dangerous mission and get more than they bargained for.
1. The Death of a Leader

"The Death of a Leader"

Fear flooded through Mikey as he saw his oldest brother Leo stumble weakly into the Lair and collapse on the floor. Blood was gushing out of a nasty gash on his right arm. Too much blood. Donnie and Raph were rushing around the Lair, desperately trying to find something that would help him. Mikey gently picked up his brother and set him on the couch, then checked his brother for more injuries, finding another cut on his cheek and several minor cuts and bruises along his legs.

"Oh Leo, don't die, don't die!" He pleaded quietly as Donnie hurried over and wrapped gauze around the gash in his arm. But that barely helped, for the blood soaked through almost instantly. Leo gave a weak cough, spattering small droplets of blood over his plastron.

Raph came over with more gauze, fear coursing through him. "Come on," he growled. "I ain't gonna let ya die!" He put on more gauze, only to pale as the blood soaked through that as well. "Dammit, Leo! Stop bleeding! Be strong! Come on!"

Leo coughed up more droplets of blood. "It's... Too late, Raph..." He coughed again, only this time, more blood came out of his mouth.

Raph shook his head. "Stop saying that crap!" He snarled, panic overwhelming him. "You're gonna live, whether ya want to or not!"

Mikey's eyes were brimming with tears as he watched Leo weakly shake his head. "No..." He coughed up more blood. "Raph, listen to... To me... There's nothing... You can do..."

Mikey placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, the tears streaming down his face. "No... Leo, don't say that..." He whimpered.

Leo struggled for breath. "Just... Let me die..." He whispered. "I deserve it..."

Donnie looked at his brother. "No you don't, Leo! Don't die on us..." His voice turned into a whine. "Please!"

Leo shook his head. "Yes... I... Do..." His voice was barely above a whisper. By now, all three of his brothers knew that he had lost too much blood, but still they urged him to stay alive. Leo shook his head weakly at their protests. "Don't... Bother anymore..." His chest fluttered as he took another breath, which was now a major effort for him. "I love you guys..." He croaked feebly. "And Splinter too..." His eyes focused on something that his brothers couldn't see. "Goodbye... My brothers..."

"NO!" All three of his brothers cried simultaneously.

Horrified and helpless, they watched as Leo's eyes went dull and his chest heaved with the effort of giving his final breath.

And then, the four became... Three.


	2. Moving On

"Moving On"

_5 months later..._

Mikey sat on the couch and stared blankly at the TV, not caring (or noticing) that it was turned off. He missed Leo. Every day, the absence of the eldest turtle was made painfully obvious when someone would accidentally out of habit turn to ask Leo something, only to remember that he was gone. Forever.

A small tear rolled down his cheek. Leo had been like a pillar, always supporting Mikey and always standing tall, always seeming so, so strong. Now... Now that pillar had collapsed. Crumbled. Fallen apart until there was nothing left. And without that pillar in his life, Mikey had fallen too.

"Mikey? Why the shell are ya starin' at a blank TV screen?" Mikey jumped at Raph's loud tone, but didn't look at his brother. Raph sighed and sat beside him. "Mikey, what's wrong?"

Mikey sniffled. "I... I miss Leo!" He cried, burying his head in his hands.

Raph patted Mikey's head reassuringly. "Mikey, you've been mopin' about Leo for _5 months._ Don't ya think it's time to... Move on?"

Mikey blinked, then gave his brother a disgusted look. "_What?_"He hissed. "_Move on? _Raph, he was our brother! We can't just 'move on' and act like he never existed!"

"Mikey, I never said we were goin' to act like he never existed! What I meant was that we need to... Ya know... Focus on other things..." Objected Raph.

"Like what?" Mikey spat bitterly.

"Like Shredder, our training, stuff like that."

Mikey turned away from his brother. "Well, like it or not, I'm still going to focus on Leo. _I _miss him! Unlike _you_, _I'm _going to actually remember that he existed, because _I miss him!_" He said coldly after a moment's silence had gone by.

"Mikey, I _do _miss him! But Masta Splinta said-"

"_I_ don't_ give a damn about what Master Splinter said!_" Snapped Mikey, his temper boiling over. He leapt off of the couch and headed towards the exit of the Lair.

"Where the shell are ya goin'?" Said Raph.

"Out," Mikey snarled as he left.

Raph watched as his younger brother stormed out of the Lair, not saying anything.

* * *

Up on the surface, it was a cold and stormy day. A fierce wind blew through New York, scattering pages of old newspapers around. A soft drizzle pattered everywhere, chilling Mikey to the bone, but he ignored it. He was still mad at Raph for what he had said. _Move on?! How the shell can I move on?! My brother is dead, and he thinks I can just forget about him and act like he never existed?!_

Furious, Mikey walked along an alley, not caring if anybody saw him. _Let them, _he thought. _Let them see me, and let them kill me, so I can be with my brother again. _He continued walking, stopping only when a loud, raucous cry filled his ears. _Crows? _He thought, spinning around. Sure enough, up on the roof of a building perched a large black crow, with something clutched in its beak.

The crow suddenly spread its wings and flew down towards Mikey, a strange glint in its eyes. Mikey yelped and covered his head with his hands, hoping that the crow wouldn't peck his eyes out.

Instead, something completely different happened:

A small object landed in front of Mikey, and he could hear the sound of flapping wings. Blinking, Mikey saw the crow fly away and land on another building. The bird looked back at him, and Mikey noticed that whatever was in its beak was gone. Mikey looked around and saw a strange necklace lying on the ground. He picked it up, then looked back at the bird. The bird gave a small nod before spreading its wings and flying off.

Wait, wait, wait. Did that bird just... _Nod at him? _He shook his head. _You're probably just imagining it, _he thought as he walked off.

* * *

Several hours later, the crow had reached its destination, a secluded building up in the mountains. A small balcony came into the bird's view; it slowly landed on the edge of the railing before turning into a boy with crow black hair and strange, yellow eyes. A woman with a stern face walked out onto the balcony, her expression cold and emotionless. "Has the necklace been delivered?" She asked briskly.

The boy gave a quick nod. "Yes, Ma'am."

The woman gave a cold, cruel smile. "Excellent."


	3. The Crow and the Necklace

**Tralalala! Here's Chapter 3! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT! **

* * *

"The Crow and the Necklace"

Meanwhile, back at the Lair, Donnie was in his lab, working on several different inventions. _Let's see... Okay, I add this part to that one. No wait, it goes onto this one! No, no, no! It goes here, not there! _Frustrated, he gave a loud sigh and buried his head in his hands. Ever since Leo had died, Donnie had taken over as the team's leader. And boy, had he struggled at that! He spent so much time working on his lab that he barely had time to lead the team.

Several times Raph had offered to ease him of his burden, but even though he had said no, Donnie and Raph often found themselves sharing the position of leader when things got tough. _Well, two is better than one. _He thought as he picked up a wrench and resumed his work.

"Donnie? Ya in here?" Called Raph loudly as he walked towards the lab.

Startled, Donnie dropped the wrench. Quietly cursing, he picked it up. "Yeah."

Raph poked his head through the slightly open door. "Good, cause I need to talk to ya."

Donnie sat down in a chair and faced Raph. "About what?" He was a little shocked to see his brother's worried expression.

Raph hesitated as he walked in. "It's... Mikey. We, uh... Kinda got into an argument about Leo, and he left the Lair."

Donnie remained silent for a moment. "How long ago was this argument?" He asked.

"About... 15 minutes ago, give or take a few." Said Raph, shrugging slighty.

"Hmm..." Mused Donnie. It wasn't like Mikey to leave the Lair like that. "Let's go up and see if we can find him and bring him back."

* * *

"Boy, it's cold up here!" Cried Donnie as a cold wind wrapped itself around them.

"No kiddin'," muttered Raph bitterly. So far the two brothers had searched for ten minutes without the smallest sign of Mikey.

Donnie glanced down at the alley below them. Nothing suggested that Mikey had been there, so he simply shrugged and jumped onto the next roof, followed by Raph.

"Any sign of him?" Donnie asked over the rising wind.

Raph shook his head, then suddenly stopped, his eyes narrowed. "Over there!" He hissed, pointing to another alley. "I think he's in that one!"

Without hesitating, the two turtles sprang from the roof and into the alley, landing in front of Mikey.

"Aaah!" Mikey screamed, jumping back slightly.

"Mikey! Where the shell were ya?! We've been lookin' everywhere!" Cried Raph, gripping Mikey's shoulders tightly.

"I was walking!" Mikey said defensively.

Donnie sighed. By now, the wind was whirling around them, causing the ends of their bandanas to flutter wildly. On top of that, it had started to snow slightly. "Look, let's just get back home," he said tiredly.

* * *

The three brothers slowly trudged into the Lair, nearly numb from the freezing cold winds and the snow which had slowly started to fall a few minutes ago.

_I sure hope Master Splinter doesn't- _Donnie's thoughts broke off as he noticed his father's stern expression- _find out about this... _He slapped his face with his hand. "Shell," he mumbled.

By now, Mikey and Raph had noticed their father, and were quickly trying to come up with an excuse.

"Masta Splinta!" Cried Raph. "W-we can explain!"

Mikey nodded quickly. "Y-yeah! Raph will explain, won't you, Raph?"

Raph glared at Mikey. "Why do I have to do it?!" He snapped, his temper boiling over.

Mikey shrank back, whimpering in fear. "B-because... Because..."

Splinter raised an eyebrow. "I am waiting," he said softly.

Raph stopped glaring at Mikey and faced Splinter, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Uh... Well, ya see Masta, I was talkin' to Mikey about what ya said, that he should move on, and uh... He left, and we went to go get him."

Splinter's eyes blazed with anger. "What if someone had seen you? We cannot afford to take these kinds of risks, my sons."

The three turtles nodded. "Yes, Sensei." They said in unison.

"We're really sorry, Master Splinter," said Mikey, stepping forward slightly. "I shouldn't have run off like that. I didn't think I was gone for that long."

Splinter gave a weary sigh. "It is alright, Michelangelo." He then turned and slowly walked away, leaving the three brothers alone in the room.

"Look guys, I'm _really _sorry. It's just that..." Mikey sighed, his usually happy blue gaze filled with sadness. "I don't think I'm ready to move on."

Donnie placed a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "It's okay, Mikey-" He stopped talking when he noticed a strange necklace in Mikey's hands. "Where'd you get _that_?" He asked, pointing.

Mikey showed his brothers the necklace. "Some necklace I got when I was up on the surface. A crow gave it to me." He smiled proudly.

Raph rolled his eyes. Since when was receiving a necklace from a crow something to be proud of? "Mikey, are ya sure it didn't just accidentally pick it up, fly off, realize it wasn't edible, and dropped it on your head?"

Mikey nodded. "Positive," he said. "Wanna know how I know?" His eyes glimmered with awe.

"How?" Asked Donnie, slightly curious.

"It nodded at me."

Raph smacked Mikey in the head so hard that Mikey thought he was going to black out. "Ya idiot! Crows don't nod!"

Mikey folded his arms across his plastron. "Well, this one did!" He said defensively.

Donnie shook his head. "Mikey, crows _can't_ nod. Even if they could, why would they nod to a mutant turtle?"

"And more importantly, why the _shell _would they give ya a _necklace_?" Raph snapped.

Mikey shrugged, and walked over to a shelf on the wall, where he carefully placed the necklace. "I don't know," he admitted, walking towards his room. "Maybe it was trying to tell me something."

Raph scoffed. "Oh yeah, like a crow's gonna have some special message for Mikey."

Donnie shrugged, a thoughtful look etched on his face. "I once read something about birds being used to carry letters and stuff like that to people... Maybe that bird was trying to deliver that necklace to someone..." He walked over to the necklace and took it off of the shelf. "I'm going to go have a look at this," he said. "There's something familiar about it..." He shrugged, then disappeared into the lab.

* * *

Donnie fingered with the necklace, turning it this way and that, examining it from every possible angle that he could. It was a strange, silver spiral with a small diamond in the very center, attached to a thin, silver chain. _Hmm... _He thought. _I wonder where it came from... And why would a crow be carrying it in its beak? _He shook his head and set the necklace down on the table.

He gave a tired sigh and glanced up at the clock. It was 11:30 at night. He frowned. He had come into the lab earlier that day, around noon. Where had the time gone? It felt like he had only been in there for five minutes. He sighed again and buried his head in his hands, confused.

Little did he know that even though the clock said otherwise, he had only been in there for five minutes.


	4. Splinter's Secret

"Splinter's Secret"

The next day, Donnie was in his lab, once again examining the necklace. Where did it come from? And why did a crow have it? He shook his head, confused. _So many questions... But so few answers..._ He sighed, and held it up to his face for better examination. There didn't seem to be anything unusual about it, save for the necklace itself, with its spiral shape winding around and around. _It's almost... Hypnotizing, in a way... _He sighed agian, then stood up and put the necklace away before leaving the lab, still confused.

"Don! What's up, dude? Heh heh, did you see the mess Raph made in Splinter's room? Ha! Ha! He's going to be in _so_ much trouble!" Mikey's voice came in a nervous rush.

Donnie gave his younger brother a dubious glance. "_What _mess?"

Mikey avoided his older brother's gaze. "Uh..."

Donnie shook his head. "Mikey!"

"Well, sorry! I-I was just trying to get a book off of his shelf, but it wouldn't budge! And..."

Donnie didn't listen to what Mikey was saying. _A book that doesn't move? _He immediately started walking towards Master Splinter's room.

"...And then- Wait, where are you going, dude? Wait up!" Mikey cried, hurrying after his brother.

Donnie strode into the room, where he found Raph standing over a giant heap of books scattered over the floor. Raph's eyes flicked towards Donnie before focusing on Mikey. "What the shell did ya do, Mikey?!"

Mikey hid behind Donnie, cowering in fear. "Why do you always assume I did it?" He wailed.

"Because you're a clumsy shellbrain!" Snapped Raph, taking a step towards his two brothers.

Donnie walked over to the bookshelf, ignoring the mess on the floor and tuning out his brothers. One book was still in the bookcase. _What the shell? _Carefully, Donnie placed his hand on the spine of the book, then tugged.

Nothing. He tried again.

Absolutely nothing.

Puzzled, Donnie let his hand roam across the book, stopping when he felt an indentation on one cover. His heart pounding, he traced the outline with his finger, staring in shock at the book when he realized what shape the indentation was.

A spiral.

In that one second, he could feel his blood turn cold.

"Don? What the shell's wrong with ya?" Cried Raph, startling Donnie.

Donnie blinked, snapped out of his trance. "Raph, go into my lab. On the top shelf is the necklace. Bring it to me, will you?"

"Uh... Okay.." Raph gave Donnie a curious look before leaving the room.

Mikey watched Raph leave before facing Donnie. "Why do you need the necklace?"

"Because," said Donnie.

"Because... What?"

"Because I said so!" Snapped Donnie, not taking his eyes off of the book.

Mikey stayed silent until Raph came back with the necklace a few moments later. "Here," he said, holding it out.

Donnie nodded his thanks and took the necklace from Raph. Carefully, he held the necklace up to the indentation. It seemed to fit, but there was only one way to know for sure...

Gently, he placed the necklace inside the indentation, firmly closing his eyes and looking away.

Nothing happened.

Relieved, yet disappointed, Donnie opened his eyes.

"Woah... It _fits!_" Exclaimed Mikey, pushing past Donnie to see. But as he did, his foot slipped on one of the books that covered the floor, and in an attempt to catch himself, his hand shot out and grabbed the book in the bookshelf.

Suddenly, the book lurched forward, and a loud rumbling sound could be heard. The ground trembled as part of a stone wall lifted up, revealing a narrow stone hallway.

"Whoa..." All three brothers said in unison.

Torches lined the walls, and cobwebs hung everywhere. A fine layer of dust covered everything.

"Cool!" Cried Mikey, dashing forward.

"Mikey, wait!" Cried Donnie, but his words fell on deaf ears. Sighing, he and Raph followed their brother into the hallway.

In addition to being dusty, the stone floor was somewhat slimy, causing Donnie to shudder. He took one of the torches off of the wall, nearly dropping it when a loud rumbling noise sounded, and the door came back down, trapping them in the hallway.

"Great," muttered Raph. "Now how are we going to get outta here?"

Donnie gestured towards an old lever. "We pull that."

Raph looked at the lever for a moment. "Oh."

"Guys, look! There's something down there!" Mikey cried, pointing towards the end of the hallway.

Donnie held up his torch, and could just make out a strange object at the end of the narrow hallway. "I wonder what it is..." he mused as he began to walk down the hallway, his brothers right behind him.

Eventually, the three brothers reached the object, which turned out to be a thick, leather bound book, its pages yellowed with age, sitting on top of a tall, flat rock.

"What's it say?" Whispered Mikey.

Donnie frowned. "I... Don't know, actually. It's written in some strange language that I've never seen before."

Raph scoffed. "So, we found a secret passageway that leads to a book written in a foreign language. Great."

Donnie hushed him, then focused on the book. "Whatever it's about, Splinter must _really _not want us to see this."

Raph and Mikey nodded their agreement. "Speaking of Masta Splinta, where is he?" Asked Raph.

At that same moment, the sound of the door opening reached their ears, sending fear through them in an instant.

"Right here, Raphael," said a voice.

All three brothers gulped as their sensei walked towards them, his face devoid of any emotion except for anger.

"Are we in trouble?" Asked Mikey.

Splinter's eyes narrowed. "Oh yes, my son. You are all in _a lot _of trouble."

* * *

**Author's Note: Dun dun duuuunn! And that concludes this chapter! XD Hope you guys liked it! I realize that I haven't updated this thing in ****_forever_****, sooo... Yeah.. ._. Bye! XD**


	5. Trouble

"Trouble..."

"Would any of you like to tell me how _this _came to be in your possession?" Demanded Splinter, holding up the necklace that Mikey had gotten.

All three brothers remained silent.

Splinter frowned. "Very well, then. It seems we will have to do this _the hard way."_

Again, the three brothers remained silent, save for a loud gulp from Mikey.

Splinter then picked up his stick and began walking circles around them. "Donatello?" He asked, showing him the necklace.

Donnie blinked. "Uhh... No sensei, I don't know where it came from."

"Hmm..." _Wham! _Splinter gave Donnie a smack with his stick.

"Ow! I swear, I don't know!" Protested Donnie.

Splinter whacked him again, and after receiving the same thing, moved on to Raph.

_Wham! _"Ow! I swear, I don't know where the shell it came from!"

_Wham!_ "If you two don't know, then surely Michelangelo must know."

Donnie and Raph exchanged horrified glances. Mikey easily succumbed to this kind of stuff. It wouldn't be long before he confessed.

Splinter noticed this and raised an eyebrow. "Care to explain?" He asked, holding up the necklace.

Donnie and Raph both shook their heads and mentally prayed that Mikey would be quiet.

"All right, then." Said Splinter, walking towards Mikey.

_Wham! _Mikey whimpered, but didn't say anything.

_Wham! _"Owwie..." He cried, rubbing the spot where Splinter's stick had hit him.

"Hmm..." Splinter frowned. He would've expected one of them to give in by now. Especially Mikey. Well then, he would have to play harder. He walked over to Mikey's video games and picked up Mikey's favorite game.

"No!" Gasped Mikey. "Not my video games!"

Splinter raised his stick, ready to smash the game to pieces.

"Alright, alright! I'll tell!" Mikey sighed, knowing his brothers were going to get him for this. "I... I was walking on the surface, and a... A crow dropped it... I picked it up, a-and I saw the bird... Nod at me..." Mikey hung his head.

Splinter dropped the game and hurried over to Mikey, grabbing his head and forcing him to look him in the eye. "Michelangelo, do you realize what you have done?!" He cried.

Mikey blinked. "Uh, no. Should I have?"

Splinter's grip tightened. "My son! By taking this necklace, you have led them straight to us!"

By now Mikey had realized that something bad was going to happen. "Uhh... Who?"

Splinter's eyes got a faraway look in them. "The Gifted," he whispered, horrified.

All three turtles blinked. "The Gifted?"

Splinter let go of his son and left the room, returning a moment later with the book they had seen in Splinter's secret room. "Yes, my sons. The Gifted. They are a group of people with rare gifts, such as empathy, high intelligence, excellent memory, inhuman strength. They are ruthless, and will do anything to get what they want." Splinter set the book down in front of him. "Only members of the Gifted can read this book."

Donnie blinked. He was suddenly starting to get a bad feeling about this. "Wait. If you have the book, and you know so much about the Gifted... Are you... One of them?"

Silence. Then:

"I was. But one can never fully leave the Gifted."

Donnie tilted his head on one side. "What do you mean, 'one can never fully leave the Gifted'?"

Splinter hesitated. "It is hard to explain, my son. You see, every member of the gifted has a... Signal, I guess you could say, inside of them, that allows the Gifted to know where everyone is."

"Like a tracking device?" Asked Mikey.

"Precisely, Michelangelo." Said Splinter, nodding. "And that signal is nearly impossible to turn off."

"So, what you're saying is that you managed to turn it off, but because of the necklace, it's on again?" Queried Donnie.

"Yes, my son. That is why you have to go take this back. Those people are nothing but trouble!"

Raph and Mikey nodded, while Donnie however, was staring at the book. "If you left them, why do you still have the book?"

Splinter stood up. "The book is not mine. It belonged to my Master Yoshi. I brought it with me in memory of him."

All three turtles looked at him in awe.

"But if you were his pet rat, how come you have a signal too?" Asked Raph.

"Animals can have special gifts, too. I, for example, had high intelligence for a rat." Replied Splinter.

"Woah..." Breathed Mikey. "But, how do they train animals, or whatever?"

Splinter shrugged. "It is hard to explain, since most animals had different gifts."

Donnie stared at the book again. "Master Splinter, how exactly can you tell if you have a gift?"

Splinter's face took on a horrified expression. "How can you tell?"

Donnie nodded.

Splinter hesitated. " Usually, Gifted people have little to no friends. People tend to avoid them because of this gift, which sets them apart from everyone else. Then one day, they will start to see strange people following them, but only they can see them. Basically, a common trademark is little to no friends, and strange people that only you can see starting to follow you around suddenly. Of course, doing something that no other person could do, such as breathing underwater would be a sign as well."

"How do the Gifted find them? Not all lonely people are gifted, and a couple gifted people might not be outcasts." Said Donnie.

"Excellent question, Donatello," said Splinter. "You see, gifted people are all linked, regardless if they are a member of the Gifted or not, and members of the Gifted are trained to be able to sense this link and follow it to gifted people."

Donnie was silent for a moment, before piping up, "Can animals be trained to do that?"

Splinter nodded. "Yes, why?"

Donnie's expression was grim. "Mikey received that necklace from a crow."

Mikey waved off his brother's words. "Chillax, dude! That crow couldn't have been one of them!"

Donnie gave Mikey a dubious look. "Oh, really? Can you tell us what the crow _did, _exactly?"

Mikey smiled. "Course I can! Let's see... The crow followed me around... Then it flew down and dropped the necklace and flew off... I picked up the necklace and looked at the crow... And there was one more thing... Oh yeah! The crow nodded at me."

Splinter's eyes stretched wide with horror. "No!" He gasped.

"Yep!" Said Mikey proudly. "Oh, wait, that's bad, isn't it?"

"No, duh!" Muttered Raph.

Splinter's eyes had that faraway look again. "My sons," he said, "if what Michelangelo said is true, then we are in a lot of trouble."

* * *

**Author's Note: OH NOES, A CLIFFY! XD Sorry, but it had to be done! Lolz. ;3 Oh, and the next update shall be for my other story. (HA, now you have to wait even longer for an update! XD Lol, yeeaahh, I'm kinda weird.) After I update that, then I'll update this one, then that one, you get the idea. :P Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT! I only own anyone who isn't in the TMNT franchise AT ALL.**


	6. Journey into the Mountains

**Author's Note: Hellooo, my readers! :3 I know it's been a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time since I updated this, and I apologize, especially since this chapter is going to be shorter than the rest. Mainly because I want to update both this story and my other one before I go to my dad's apartment, WHERE THERE IS NO INTERNETTTTTTT, meaning I can't update my stores there. D:**

**So, yeah. Again, I'm really sorry. I promise the next chapter will be MUCH better.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT!**

**~KTNT**

* * *

"Journey into the Mountains"

Splinter stood in front of his three remaining sons, holding a checklist in his paws.

"Flashlights?" Asked Splinter.

"Check."

"Food?"

"Check."

"Plenty of water?"

"Check."

"Tents?"

"Check."

"Weapons?"

"Check."

"Disguises?"

"Check."

"Sleeping bags and blankets?"

"Check."

"Pillows?"

"Check."

"Necklace?"

"Check, no... Wait a minute.. I know it's here _somewhere!" _Mikey cried.

Donnie and Raph face palmed themselves.

"Found it!" Mikey said triumphantly.

Splinter watched the scene through narrowed eyes. "Someone _besides _Michelangelo carrying the necklace?"

"Check," Raph replied as he marched over and snatched the necklace from Mikey.

Splinter sighed and looked at his sons. "Remember, no matter what, you are only taking the necklace back. Only use your weapons if you have to. And most importantly, do _not_ get caught. Understand?"

All three turtles nodded.

"Then I wish you all good luck."

All three turtles nodded and headed out of the Lair.

* * *

"Can... We... Take a... Break yet?" Panted Mikey as they, after many, many, many hours of walking, finally approached the mountains.

"No, Mikey! We need to get rid of this necklace as soon as possible!" Said Donnie.

"I... Actually wouldn't... Mind takin' a breather..." Raph piped up.

Donnie sighed. "Alright, fine! But only for a few minutes!"

And that's when he made the worst decision in his life.


	7. The Return of the Crow

**Author's note: Hello, hello, hello! :D Here's Chapter seven for all of you wonderful readers! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT at all!**

* * *

"The Return of the Crow"

"And you say they're on their way here?" asked a woman, her eyes narrowed.

"Positive, ma'am." replied the teenage boy who stood in front of her. "They paused to take a break, without even the least bit of shelter to shield themselves from prying eyes."

The woman's lips curved into a small smile. "Excellent..." she said. She stood up and walked towards a picture of a vase of flowers. Then, without looking at the boy, she said, "I trust you'll show our guests the way here, Alex."

Alex knew that this was a command and nodded. "Of course," he said with a nod. "I'll leave right away."

The woman nodded, dismissing the boy. He then walked out of the room and down several long hallways before arriving at the balcony, where he morphed into a crow and flew off.

* * *

Meanwhile, Donnie was nearing his breaking point as Mikey and Raph continued their argument, which they had started several hours ago.

"Mikey, for the millionth time- ya can't take the crow home with ya! It's one of them!"

"We can train it to be one of us!" Mikey protested.

"No, we can't! Besides, they'll just track us down and take it back!"

"But Raph-"

"Would both of you just _shut up_?!" Donnie snapped. "Mikey, we're not taking the crow home with us!"

Mikey opened his mouth to argue, but closed it as his brothers simultaneously shot him feirce glares. He pouted, but didn't pursue the topic any further.

For a good few hours they walked on in silence, the sun beginning to sink, until Mikey pointed towards the sky. "Hey, look! It's Crowy!"

"'Crowy'? That has just got to be the _stupidest_-"

His sentence was interrupted by Donnie, who leaped onto his brother and tackled him to the ground. "Get down!" he hissed, shoving him into a small cave.

"Where's Mikey?" Raph asked after noticing his brother's absence.

"Shell," mumbled Donnie as Mikey held out an arm, allowing the crow to land on it.

"Guys, look! It's Crowy!" Mikey was grinning happily. "Hi girl- or boy. Whichever one you are."

The crow flapped its wings and motioned with its head towards a spot higher up on the mountain.

"Mikey!" Donnie hissed. "Get rid of that thing!"

"Aw, but Donnie, it's just so cute!"

"Ya say that about every stinkin' animal ya see!" growled Raph. "Now get rid of it!"

Mikey sighed and picked up the bird, gently placing it on a large rock. "Sorry Crowy," he said.

Crowy flapped his or her wings and motioned again to a spot higher up.

"I think it Crowy wants us to follow it." Mikey said, grinng. "Maybe it'll lead us to the Gifted, so we can give them their necklace back!"

"Or it's going to lead us into a trap!" Raph snarled.

The crow shook it's head at Raph's words, as if to say, _It's not a trap_!

Donnie sighed and crawled out of the cave. "We might as well follow it," he said reluctantly. "Otherwise we might just end up getting lost."

The crow flew into the air, looked back at them, and then flew off, the turtles right behind it.

As Donnie clambered over a rock, he glanced up at the crow and couldn't help but think: _Would Leo have done this?_


	8. It's a Trap!

**Author's note: Hello, hello, hello! :D Here's chapter Eight****! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT!**

* * *

"It's a Trap!"

Donnie scrambled over what seemed like the millionth gigantic boulder in only a few hours' time. _How far away are they?_ he wondered.

The crow, which was flying lazily in the air, cawed loudly as the purple masked turtle began to fall behind slightly. "All right, all right, I'm hurrying!" he snapped as the crow cawed again.

"Geez, what are we, on a time limit?" muttered Raph angrily.

"Crowy just doesn't want Donnie to fall behind!" Mikey defended the crow. "None of us have been up here before, so getting lost at night wouldn't be a good idea!"

Donnie sighed. Mikey was right. Wait- Mikey was _right_?! He glanced at Raph, who seemed to have realized the same thing.

Donnie gave another sigh before continuing on, this time at a slightly faster pace.

* * *

By now, the sun had set, and the three turtles were scrambling about in the darkness, their only guide being a jet black crow that seemed to blend in with the night sky.

A loud yawn from Mikey startled Donnie; the purple-masked turtle then grabbed the wrong rock, which came loose and rolled down the mountainside, nearly hitting Raphael on the head.

"Watch it, numbskull!" he snarled.

"Sorry!" Donnie climbed up a few more rocks before coming to rest on a wide, yet flat, part of the mountain.

Crowy landed beside Donnie on the flat rock, tapped the ground with its beak, then cawed, and flew off.

"What the? Oh, I'm gonna kill that bird for abandonin' us on this rock!" Raph snarled as he pulled himself up.

"Raph, don't! Crowy's just letting us rest here for the night!" Mikey protested as he too pulled himself up.

Raph scoffed. "And ya know this _how_? Wait," he held up a hand as Mikey opened his mouth to speak. "Let me guess: It told ya."

Mikey scuffed his foot nervously. "A-actually... It did."

Raph scoffed again. "And I'm actually supposed to _believe _that?"

Mikey remained silent, lest he be teased by Raph again.

Donnie unzipped his backpack and pulled out a small sleeping bag. "Knock it off, Raph. Mikey, stop making up stuff."

"But I'm not!" Mikey wailed.

"Ah, shut up, will ya!?" grumbled Raph, who was now inside his sleeping bag.

Mikey let out a small whimper before getting out his sleeping bag and zipping himself up.

_Why won't they believe me? It really did talk to me- I heard it! Right when it cawed! It said 'Rest here. I'll be back in the morning.' Well, they'll see! When Crowy comes back tomorrow morning, they'll know I was right!_

* * *

The next morning, Donnie woke up to the sound of a crow cawing. _What? Could it be...!?_

Alarmed, Donnie sat up to see Crowy perched on a rock, staring at him.

_What. The. Shell. Is. Happening!? Mikey was... _right! Again!

Donnie began to put away his sleeping bag when he noticed Raph was still asleep, snoring away.

"Can I have a feather?" Mikey asked; turning, Donnie saw Mikey staring at the crow, which shook its head and gave a single caw before lifting up into the air. Crowy looked at Donnie and gestured with its head a towards a spot not to far away from them.

_We're almost there! _Excitement surged through Donnie; he turned and shook Raph's shoulder vigorously. "Raph, wake up! We're almost there!"

"Mmph... Pancakes..." Raph mumbled sleepily.

"We can eat later! Now let's go!" He shook his brother's shoulder again.

"No! I'm to tired to do any trainin' Masta Splinta!" Raph grumbled.

Donnie sighed with impatience, and the next thing he knew, a pile of... Bird poo?... had landed on Raph's forehead.

"Agh!" Raph sat bolt upright, furious. "What the shell!?" He ripped off a piece of one of his bandana tails and wiped the bird poo off. "I hate crows."

Crowy gave a loud caw.

"Geez! Sensitive crow!" Raph muttered as he packed up his sleeping bag.

* * *

About an hour later, the turtles reached what appeared to be a pile of rocks stacked in a way that seemed almost as if they were against a railing of some sort.

The crow flew over the rocks and disappeared. Donnie swallowed his fear and climbed over the rock pile-

-and landed on a marble-floored balcony. Six men wielding what looked like guns surrounded him.

Donnie whipped out his staff the same instant Raph and Mikey joined him.

"It's a trap!" snarled Raph, pulling out his sais.

"B-but..." Mikey was having trouble comprehending the fact that Crowy had betrayed them.

"Set blasters to stun," came an order, and the next thing Donnie and his brothers knew, the men turned a dial on the weapons, and a bright purple light shot out of the guns and hit the turtles. They crumpled to the ground in a tangled heap of green limbs, and did not move, save for the rise and fall of their chests.

* * *

**Author's note: Dun dun duuuuuun! XD P.S: Did anyone find the _Star Wars _reference in this chapter? If you did, you're awesome. **


	9. Meeting Ms Adams

"Meeting Ms. Adams"

Darkness. Dizzying, painful, endless, darkness surrounded Donatello as he struggled to regain consciousness. _What happened?_ His side hurt; badly. Almost as if he had been jabbed in the side by an electric staff.

After much effort, the purple-masked turtle finally opened his eyes. He was greeted by a bland, dark gray stone ceiling. Far off, the low hum of a machine hard at work sounded.

Confusion swept through Donatello. This wasn't home! Then he remembered: how Leo had come home several moths ago, how he had died, and how Mikey had been given a necklace by a crow, how they had set off to return the necklace, how the crow had led them into a trap, and how he and his brothers had been stunned and most likely prodded with an electric staff.

The crow! Anger boiled up inside of him, enough to lend him the strength to sit up and glance around. His brothers were slumped in the corners of the room, out cold. Donnie clenched his fists in anger.

Sighing, he glanced despondently around at his surroundings. He and his brothers were in a small, stone room with a metal door. There wasn't a single window, and the only light came in through the small sliver of space between the door and the hard stone ground.

A loud groan snapped Donatello out of his observations; he glanced back at the upper right corner of the room, where Mikey was beginning to stir.

"...Huh? Where the shell am I?" Mikey struggled to sit up, and Donatello was at his side in a heartbeat, helping him.

"Thanks, Don." Mikey sat in the corner, his confused expression showing that he still hadn't figured out where they were. "Uh, Don? Do you know where we are, by any chance?"

Donnie nodded. "As a matter of fact, I do."

Mikey fixed his gaze on his older brother. "Where are we, then? I think we're in a cell, but I'm not sure."

Donnie forced himself to not yell at Mikey as he replied, "It's a cell alright. You want to know _how _we got in here?"

Mikey shrugged. "What harm could it do to know?" He leaned back a little. "Probably some pesky Foot ninjas."

Donnie took a deep breath before calmly saying, "Actually-"

"It was your _stupid crow's fault_!" snarled a voice. Looking behind him, Donnie saw Raph sit up, his eyes narrowed as he glared at Mikey.

"Hey, it is _not _Crowy's fault!" Mikey protested, jumping to his feet.

"Oh, wait! It's not the bird's fault- It's yours!" Raph's voice was taut with anger.

"_My _fault!?" Mikey cried. "How is it _my_ fault!?"

"Guys-" Donnie's protests for them to stop fighting proved to be futile as Mikey stepped towards Raph, his eyes blazing with shock and anger.

"It's your fault because if ya hadn't seen that _stupid _bird, and bugged us to follow it, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Raph was, surprisingly, staying where he was, which puzzled Donatello. That is, until his eyes had adjusted to the low light.

"What the...?" Donnie's voice failed him as he noticed the steel shackles binding Raphael to the wall. He stared questioningly at the shackles before glancing up at his brother. "...Raph? Why are you shackled to the wall?"

"Huh? Oh, I uh... sorta tried to take down those guards."

Donatello blinked. "But we were stunned."

"Not me- I just acted like it. Then, when they came to put us in here, I jumped up and started kickin' their butts." His eyes gleamed as he seemed to relive the memory. "Of course, one of them had some electric stick thingy, and the next thing I knew, BAM! They poke me with it, and I'm out like a light. My guess is they poked you guys too, just in case."

Donnie remained silent as he processed everything he had recently learned._  
_

Mikey sighed and sat back down. "When are we gonna get out of here!?" he wailed.

"It depends- if you're willing to cooperate, then now. If not, we're willing to wait a few more hours."

All three turtles turned at the strange voice to see a tall, muscular man standing in the doorway.

Donnie instinctively reached for his bō staff, only to find it wasn't there. Meanwhile, Raph was snarling like a rabid animal and struggling to run forward; as he did, the shackles snapped off of the wall, allowing the furious turtle to bolt towards the man.

Four pairs of eyes widened at the amount of strength Raph apparently possessed.

The man gave them a cruel smile. "Come with me," he said, and without seeing if they were even following, spun around and walked away.

Donnie exchanged a frightened glance with his brothers before cautiously following the man.

The man led them down a long, narrow hallway, up several flights of stairs, across a bridge that stretched across a large, gaping hole, and up one last flight of stairs before taking them into a large room with two, solid oak doors at the end, and several other doors on the sides, leading off to who-knows-where.

They walked towards the oak doors, where the man knocked on one of the doors and said, "Ms. Adams, I have brought the turtles."

A woman's voice, cold and commanding, said, "Bring them in."

Donnie and his brothers were roughly ushered into the room. It was quite large, with a couch, a coffee table, and some chairs in the center. A large fireplace sat in the corner of the room opposite Donnie and his brothers, and another door leading off to another room was on the same wall.

A tall, thin woman with a narrow, expressionless face, graying brown hair, and a large, hook-like nose watched them as they entered. The man who had come with them whispered something in her ear before being shooed out.

The man closed the door behind him, leaving the turtles alone with this strange woman.

She gave them all a stern look before breaking out into a wide smile that Donatello immediately distrusted. "Hello, there! I'm Ms. Julie Adams. It's so nice to finally meet you all! We've been expecting you."

Mikey's jaw dropped. "You knew we were coming?"

Ms. Adams nodded. "I can see the future," she replied.

Mikey's eyes were as big as saucers. "You're a _psycho_!?"

Donnie face palmed. "Psy_chic_, Mikey. Not psycho."

"Ohh..." Mikey nodded.

"We apologise for our little brother's stupidity," Raph said.

Ms. Adams laughed. "Don't worry- I always got them mixed up as a child." She motioned towards the chairs. "Please, sit- we have much to talk about."

* * *

"Tell me- have any of you experienced any unique abilities?" Ms. Adams asked, a sipping her tea.

Donnie and Raph hesitated, while Mikey blurted out, "A crow talked to me!"

Ms. Adams turned and faced Mikey, clearly interested. "Really? Do tell."

Mikey's eyes gleamed; clearly he was happy at finally having someone who actually believed him. "Well, back home, I was walking, when this crow came and gave me a necklace. Then, as it flew off, it... Well, it _nodded _at me!"

Ms. Adams nodded, captivated. "Go on," she urged.

"And as we walked here, it found us again, but this time..." Mikey's eyes were clouded with confusion. "...This time... It actually _talked_. To me! Every time it cawed, i-it... it said actual words. But I was the only one who could understand it..."

Ms. Adams nodded. "Has anything like that happened before?"

Mikey shook his head. "No, ma'am."

"I see," She turned to face Raphael. "You?"

Raph hesitated. "...I, uh... pulled steel shackles off of a wall without really trying."

Ms. Adams widened her icy blue eyes. "Impressive..." She asked Raph if that had ever happened before, to which he had also said no.

"And finally, what have you done?" Her ice blue gaze bore into Donnie, making him uncomfortable.

"Does being a genius since birth count?"

Ms. Adams nodded. "Do you three mind if I go get a few things real quickly?"

Donnie shook his head. "Not at all."

Ms. Adams thanked them before hurrying out of the room.

"I don't like this place!" hissed Raphael.

"Ditto," muttered Donnie. "But our weapons are gone, and we have no clue as to where we are, so there's no point in trying to leave." As he said this, Ms. Adams came back in, carrying a cage with a rat in it, two cinder blocks stacked on top of the cage, and a whiteboard with eraser and pen.

She set her supplies down on the table and looked at Donnie and his brothers. "I have a hunch as to what your abilities are, but I'd like to perform some tests to confirm my ideas."

She took the rat out of the cage, and held it up to Mikey. "When it squeaks, tell me what you hear."

Mikey looked bewildered for a second, but nodded. The rat let out a shrill squeak, and Mikey's eyes widened.

"What did it say?" she asked.

"I-it said, 'Put me back in my cage...'" he trailed off. "I'd finish the sentence, but I'm not allowed to use that kind of language."

Ms. Adams blinked, and put the rat back in the cage. She then placed the cinder blocks, one on top of the other, in front of Raph. "See that crack?" she asked, pointing to a small crack in the top block. "Put a finger on it and press down."

"Uhhh... Okay..." Raph put one of his fingers on the crack and pressed down; immediately, the crack spread across the block, causing it to shatter, and as it did, Raph's finger landed on the other block, reducing it to dust in only a second.

"What the shell...?" Raph muttered, drawing his hand away. He then turned towards Mikey. "Hey, Mikey..."

Mikey yelped as Raph punched him in the arm. "What the shell, Raph!?"

Donnie glared at Raph. "I wouldn't do that," he hissed. "Imagine what would happen if you hit him in the head. We already lost Leo," he added grimly.

Raph gulped and looked at his fists nervously before deciding to sit on them.

"And now, for you." She took the marker and wrote a complicated equation on it. "Solve this," she said, and took out a stopwatch. "In three... two... one... go!"

Donnie grabbed the marker and glanced at the problem. He thought hard for a second, before quickly scribbling down the answer (while showing his work, of course) and showing it to her.

Ms. Adams stopped the stopwatch and glanced at his answer. "You solved that... In only seven seconds."

Donnie could hear his brothers gasping with amazement at Ms. Adams's next words:

"It seems you all possess three of the five rarest gifts."

Mikey bounced up and down eagerly like a child on Christmas morning about to open its first present. "What's mine? What's mine?"

Ms. Adams looked into Mikey's eyes. "You have the ability to communicate with animals," she said, " and you-" she looked at Raph,"-have super strength."

"What's mine?" asked Donnie.

"Intelligence," Ms. Adams replied. "Very high intelligence, might I add."

Mikey was sitting stock still, his eyes wide with amazement. "No _wonder _I could understand Crowy! Speaking of which, where is she? Or he?"

Ms. Adams looked confused. "'Crowy'...?" Then her gaze cleared. "Oh, you must mean Alex!"

As she spoke, a jet black crow flew in through an open window and landed on the floor, before suddenly transforming into a teenage boy with black hair and yellow eyes.

"'Sup?"

* * *

**A/N: Dun dun duuuun! XD Well, you guys finally met the leader of the Gifted, found out that the turtles have powers (and what they are), AND you guys got to see Crowy/Alex again! Yaaaaayyy! XD**


	10. Do we have a deal?

**A/N: Holy CRUD, guys! Thanks to Loving Leo, this story is now in the archives of The best TMNT stories! :D You ROCK! *gives you a cookie***

**And now, I present unto you all: Chapter 10. *disappears into the shadows***

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT (I wish XD). **

**Oh, and I dedicate this chapter to Loving Leo. :)**

* * *

"Do we have a deal?"

An awkward silence stretched across the room for only a few precious seconds before being broken by Raphael. "What the shell?" he gasped, his eyes wide.

Ms. Adams smiled. "Calm down," she reassured him. "Alex's ability is to be able to turn into a crow,"

Michelangelo stared at Alex, his mouth wide open. "Dude, that is so awesome! Can you teach me how to do that?"

Alex grinned. "Sorry, dude. I'm afraid I can't."

Mikey pouted while Donatello scrutinized the boy. "B-but _how_? Crows and humans have different DNA... How is it possible for everything to just rearrange itself in only a few seconds?"

Alex shrugged. "Don't ask me, because I honestly have no clue whatsoever."

Ms. Adams stood up and placed a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Not even Xavier, one of our smartest members, can figure it out." She shook her head. "Animal transformation is a rare gift," she continued. "Not nearly as rare as yours, but it's still quite rare."

Donatello nodded. "Interesting,"

Ms. Adams nodded as well before sitting back down and gesturing with her head towards the door. Alex quickly murmured, "Yes ma'am," before leaving the room.

As soon as he had gone, Ms. Adams faced them with a small smile on her face. "Now then," she said, her tone serious, "I know that you all are wondering what this is," she said as she held up the necklace that Mikey had been given.

"It's a necklace... isn't it?" Mikey tilted his head to one side.

"Yes," she nodded, "it _is_ a necklace. But do you know what else it is?"

"Uhh... Jewelry?" Donnie and Raph both face palmed at this.

"...Yes, but that's not what I was looking for. The answer is: a time machine."

"Whoa!"

"Huh!?"

"Wait, what!?"

Ms. Adams waited until the turtles had calmed down before continuing. "Surprising, isn't it? But, this little necklace _can _travel through time."

Donatello stared at her, dumbfounded. "B-but... How?"

Ms. Adams placed her thumb on the outermost edge of the spiral. "For members of the gifted who have harnessed their powers, it's simple- you put your thumb here, and rub it along the spiral until you reach the diamond in the center. If you have a specific date in mind, say it out loud once your thumb touches the diamond, take your thumb off of the necklace, and off you go." She gently placed the necklace down on the table. "However, if you haven't harnessed your power, it will feed off of that untamed energy, and send you to a random point in time."

Donnie snapped his fingers. "_That's _why I felt like I had been in my lab for only five minutes!" Upon seeing everyone's confused expressions, he rapidly told them about how he had gone into the lab to examine the necklace around noon, and had left at 11:30, feeling like he had been in there for only five minutes. "I guess I must have sent myself forward in time accidentally," he finished.

Ms. Adams nodded, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You're lucky it only sent you several hours into the future," she mused. "The necklace is notorious for sending people who haven't harnessed their powers into completely random points of time."

Donatello shuddered at the thought of being sent to a completely random time and place, with no clue as to how he had gotten there.

The purple-masked turtle's thoughts were interrupted by Mikey. "A necklace that can travel through time?" He gave an excited gasp. "Do you realize what we could do with this thing?" When no one responded, he cried out, "We can use it to bring back Leo!"

"Mikey, are you crazy!?" cried Donatello, jumping to his feet. "An idea like that... might... actually... work!" His voice faltered as he realized what Mikey was saying- they could go back to the night he died, and prevent him from being killed!

Mikey's eyes gleamed with eagerness as he realized that he had Donnie's support.

Raph, however, wasn't as eager. "Do you know how much trouble we're gonna be in?" He sighed. "Ah, well. _Someone's _gotta watch ya guys."

"So, you're in?" Donnie asked.

Raph grinned. "'Course I am!"

The three turtles turned to look at Ms. Adams, who had a strange look on her face for a second. "I knew this would come up eventually," she said.

"Can we, though?" Mikey pleaded. "We won't break it- we promise!"

Ms. Adams hesitated, as though she was about to tell them something important, before nodding. "Very well," she said. "But take Alex with you. He has harnessed his power, and will be able to help you arrive at your destination."

The three turtles glanced at one another, hesitant.

Ms. Adams looked at the three turtles. "It may not seem like a good idea, but it's either that, or you stay here, in your cell."

Donatello blinked, unsure. _I agree we should bring him, but can he be trusted? It beats rotting in that cell, though. Besides, if we stayed in the cells... Who knows what Splinter would do!_

Ms. Adams sensed Donatello's thoughts and smiled. "So... do we have a deal?" she asked.

The turtles briefly glanced at one another before turning to face Ms. Adams and saying, "Yes," in unison.


	11. Training

**A/N: *fanfare plays* Here is Chapter Eleven for all of you lovely readers! :D**

* * *

"Training"

For the rest of the day, the turtles had been given free roam around the Gifted's base, save for a long, narrow hallway with countless doors branching off it.

"Going through any one of those doors can have disastrous results," Ms. Adams had warned them earlier that day.

Since then, all three brothers had stayed as far away from there as they possibly could, doing whatever it took to stay away. Raphael had gone to practice using his newfound strength, while Donatello had caught Michelangelo trying to go down the hallway at least three times.

"Would you stop it?" he hissed as he grabbed the ends of Mikey's bandana and dragged him away.

"Hey, what- ow, ow, ow, ow!" Mikey yelped as Donatello fiercely led him away. "Not cool, dude!"

Donnie gave an inward sigh, let go of his younger brother, and let him fall unceremoniously to the floor.

"Ow! What the shell, Don?" Mikey scrambled to his feet and brushed the dust off himself. "Not cool!"

Donnie rolled his eyes. "Mikey, we're not supposed to go down there!"

"But Don-"

"No buts, Mikey!" snapped Donnie. "Now go find something better to do!"

Mikey pouted but nevertheless, turned and walked away, leaving Donnie alone to do whatever he pleased. And, being the scientific genius that he was, he began searching for the labs.

"Excuse me, miss?" Donnie tapped the shoulder of a young girl. She turned and faced him. "Do you know where the labs are? I-if there are any."

The girl nodded and pointed. "Just head down that way until you reach a staircase going downwards. Take the stairs and they'll take you directly to the entrance."

Donatello thanked her and headed the way she had indicated for him to go. He soon arrived at the top of the stairs and rapidly began descending them, eager to enter the labs. He then reached a metal door with a sign saying 'WARNING: Many dangerous chemicals are used here. Please put on one of our lab suits to protect yourself.' on it.

He glanced around and noticed a bright white suit, which he quickly slipped on over himself before entering.

Instantly, he was greeted by loud voices, the smell of countless different chemicals, and the occasional beeping or whirring from several machines.

"Whoa…" he breathed, taking it all in.

A thin, light reddish brown-haired girl wearing glasses and a white suit stopped and gawked at him. "Y-you're a… a turtle?" Her tone was full of both shock and disbelief. "Incredible!" She pushed her glasses up her nose. "But how…?

"It's a long story," he said. "Mind if I look around the labs?"

"Go on ahead," the girl said, gesturing with her hand. Donnie gave her a quick thanks and headed off, gazing around at the machinery.

Amazed, he walked over to a table lined with an impressive array of tools, some of which Donnie didn't even recognize.

"Impressed?" Donatello spun around to see a tall, blonde-haired man smiling at him.

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Donnie gave an eager nod.

The man chuckled and extended a hand. "I'm Xavier. You must be one of the new arrivals Ms. Adams mentioned."

Donnie hesitated before shaking Xavier's hand. "Donatello," he replied. "And, yes, I am." He gestured around at the lab. "I must say, you all seem very technologically advanced. What sort of technology do you use, exactly?"

Xavier smiled. "Any kind, really. We just rely on the smart ones to upgrade it for us."

Donnie frowned. "I thought the really smart ones were rare," he said. "Or at least, Ms. Adams says so."

Xavier nodded. "Well, yes, people with the gift of extremely high intelligence are quite rare, but we also have people such as technopaths and anyone who is skilled in science."

"I see," mused Donnie. "So, this place must be pretty busy, I assume?"

Xavier shrugged. "It varies, but mostly, yes." He came to stand beside Donatello and fingered one of the tools. "You seem to be a smart young man- er, turtle," he corrected himself.

Donnie allowed himself to smile slightly. "It's alright," he assured the man as Donnie too fingered one of the tools.

Xavier returned the smile and said, "As I was saying, you seem to be quite smart. Would you perhaps like to use some of our technology to invent something?"

Donatello's eyes shone as he glanced up at Xavier. "Boy, would I!" he exclaimed. "You're not kidding?"

Xavier shook his head. "Not one bit."

Donnie nodded his head eagerly, ignoring the small voice in the back of his head that screamed at him to say no.

* * *

Meanwhile, Raph was in another room, punching away at the dozens and dozens of cinder blocks, and wooden boards, wrestling with practice dummies, and learning how to temporarily control his power.

"The key to making sure you don't hurt anyone unintentionally," instructed the trainer, "is to remain calm! Do not let your temper get the better of you!"

Raph scoffed. "In case ya hadn't noticed- I've gotta problem when it comes to my temper,"

The trainer narrowed his eyes. "Well, you're just going to have to learn to control it!" He got into a fighting stance and sneered, "Go on- attack me."

"Wait, what?" Raph blinked.

"What's the matter- _scared_?" His trainer stared at him through narrowed eyes.

"I ain't scared!" spat Raph, his sais- which he'd gotten back earlier- out in an instant.

"Well then, what are you waiting for, chicken? Are you not good enough to beat me?"

Raph growled and sprang towards the trainer; in an instant, he heard the man's arms snap. Shocked, he sprang backwards. "Agh! I'm sorry, sir!"

But the man was on his feet, his arms good as new.

"B-but…" Raph stared, dumbfounded as the man bent his arms to show that they were fine.

The trainer smiled. "Regeneration," he explained. "Any injury I suffer instantly heals itself." He then got into a fighting stance again. "Again! And this time, try to control your temper!"

* * *

In another part of the Gifted's base, Michelangelo was busy communicating with a female parakeet. According to her, the food she was given tasted downright awful to her, and she wished they'd switch it.

"Well, don't worry," he soothed her. "I'll make sure to mention it to them."

The parakeet chirped happily, _Thanks!_

"No problem, dudette." He gave the bird a friendly smile before moving on to a fat white cat, which plainly mewed,

_Food. Now._

"I don't think so- you didn't ask nicely!" Mikey scolded the cat, which sighed and mewed,

_Food. Now, please?_

Mikey shook his head. "Still not good enough,"

_Just get me the damn food before I claw your face off! _it hissed, arching its back and fluffing up its fur.

Mikey yelped and scrambled backwards. "Violent kitty! Who taught you that word!?" _And what happened to good old-fashioned 'Can I have some food, please?'_

A soft laugh reached his ears. "That's Fluffy for you,"

Mikey turned to see a girl standing behind him, holding a bowl of cat food.

"Y-you can understand her?" he stammered.

The girl smiled and pointed to a collar on the cat. "For those of us who can't understand them, they put a special translator on them."

Mikey tilted his head to one side. "Why?"

The girl shrugged. "Not many people can communicate with animals, so there aren't many people able to take care of them. So, they built the collars and allowed some of us to help out down here."

Mikey's eyes widened. "Cool!" He grinned. "As you can assume, I can talk to animals. Speaking of which, the parakeet hates her food. Could you switch it for her?"

The girl smiled. "I'll see what I can do." She handed Fluffy the food and stepped back. "Is that it?"

Mikey nodded. "Yep,"

The girl smiled again and gave him a friendly wave before leaving the room.

Mikey watched her go and had to refrain himself from skipping around gleefully. "Just wait until the others find out that I made a new friend…" he whispered, "… whose name I don't know! Dang it!"

Over in the cage, Fluffy gave him an unenthusiastic look. _Oh goody. Now, would you _please _leave me _alone_?_

* * *

That evening, as everyone was filing out of the labs and into the cafeteria, Donnie managed to hear something that sent a shiver down his spine.

Curious, he pressed himself against the wall and snuck towards the corner, where he was able to hear Ms. Adams say,

"Don't worry, master. We still have this dimension to search. If the girl is not here, then we can easily enslave them like the others."

* * *

**A/N: DUN DUN DUUUN! XD P.S. I LOVE FLUFFY! Lol, I don't really know why, but oh well. :P Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!**

**~KTNT**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT! I only own anyone NOT in the TMNT franchise. **


	12. The Journey Begins Ghost Turtle

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own TMNT! I only own anyone NOT in the TMNT franchise.**

* * *

"The Journey Begins/Ghost Turtle"

That night, after Donnie had hurriedly escaped to the cafeteria, met his brothers, and eaten dinner with them, all three turtles were back in their cell, eagerly telling one another about the day's events.

"And then, I built... this!" Donatello pulled out another one of his many inventions, resulting in a loud groan from his brothers.

"Geez, Don, how many things did ya make!?" cried Raph.

Donnie scratched his head. "I have no idea... I sorta lost count."

"Lost count!" Mikey and Raph echoed, eyes wide.

"Well while Mr. Techno over here built an army of inventions, _I _broke a guy's arms." announced Raph.

"That's nice, Raph," said an absent-minded Donatello as he showed off more of his inventions. "Anyway, I also built this-oh, and this-as well as this-"

Mikey groaned and tuned his older brother out. "So, what happened again?" he asked, turning to Raph.

Raph tuned Donnie out as well and began telling his youngest brother of how he had learned to try and control his strength.

"And then, I attacked 'em, and _then_, his arms snapped!"

"No way!" breathed Michelangelo, eyes wide with wonder. "What happened next? What happened next?" He bounced up and down eagerly.

"His arms just... _healed _themselves! Said it was somethin' called 'regeneration'."

Mikey pouted. "Aw, why can't _I _have that power?"

"Don't ask me," Raph said. "Anyway, what'd you get up to?"

Mikey blinked. "You really want to know?"

Raph shook his head. "Nah, I just need something to distract me from Donnie," he said with a jerk of his thumb in the direction of their rambling brother.

"Of course." Mikey said, but nevertheless told Raph about his experience that day.

"You got cussed at... by a _cat_!?" Raph fell over backwards, laughing.

"Hey!" Mikey cried. "It's not funny!"

By now, Donatello had finished rambling on and on about his inventions and had noticed Mikey and Raph. "Wha?"

Mikey crossed his arms and glared at Raph. "He's laughing because a cat cussed at me!"

"I'm laughin' because it's _ridiculous_!" Raph argued.

Donnie just gave a weary sigh. One thing was certain: Tonight was going to be a _long _night. Especially with what Ms. Adams had said earlier bouncing around in his head. He shuddered as he imagined what it would be like if the Gifted did enslave them all. He hoped it wouldn't be like the time he had been sent 30 years into the future, where the Shredder was in charge. Yawning, he pushed all thoughts of distant futures out of his mind and went to sleep.

* * *

A rough hand shook Donnie's shoulder; confused, he blinked open his eyes to see a painfully familiar figure standing in front of him.

"L-Leo?" He rubbed his eyes, but his brother was still there. "LEO!" Ecstatic, he launched himself at his older brother and gave him a huge hug. "Oh, I can't believe it! You're _alive_! Wait- you're alive?! B-but how?"

Leo growled. "I'm not! There's no time to explain what's happening! Just get out of here and follow me!"

Donnie blinked. "F-follow you? But _how_?"

But by now, his brother and the cell were fading away.

"Leo? LEO! No! Don't go! LEO!" Donnie shrieked.

"Don! Don! Wake up, will ya!?"

Donnie's eyes popped open as Raphael shook his shoulder. "Don!"

"R-Raph?" Donnie gasped, still horrified by his dream.

"Ya okay? I heard ya screaming in your sleep." Raph looked his younger brother in the eyes.

"I-I'm fine, Raph. Just... a really weird dream," Donnie replied.

"About what?"

Donnie hesitated. "About Leo," he finally admitted. "He... He told me to get out of here and to follow him."

Pain flashed in Raphael's eyes as he remembered his dead brother before hardening into fury. "It's probably just someone usin' their powers and messin' with ya." he said.

Donnie shook his head. "I don't think it was. But, how would I get out of here?" He glanced towards the door. "I mean, it's most likely locked, guarded, and being monitored by security cameras."

_Use the bug... Leo's voice_ whispered in his ear, so quiet that for a moment, Donnie was sure he'd imagined it.

_Use the bug? What bug? Wait a second- of course! _Excited, he shoved his hand into the bag and dug out a tiny, metal spider, with a minuscule camera and a pair of antennae attached. "I can't believe I forgot my Spyder (combination of 'spy' and 'spider', hence the term 'SPYder')!"

"Your what?!"

"My Spyder. It's a robotic spider with a camera attached to it. I can use it to see if there's anything out there." He took out a remote control and a tablet and flipped a switch on both them and the Spyder; instantly the Spyder's antennae stood straight up, and its eyes glowed a bright green.

Cautiously, Donnie used the controller to navigate the Spyder under the crack between the door and the ground.

"See anythin'?" asked Raph as Donnie used a joystick to move the Spyder around.

"Not a thing," Donatello said as he glanced at the tablet's screen. "The only defense is a passcode, which should be easy to crack." He pressed a button, and the Spyder began to climb up the side of the wall, arriving at the lock.

"Let's see... Look for the buttons that are smudged and dirty..." Donnie muttered to himself, and within a minute, the door swung open.

"Holy shell, Don!" Raph cried. "That thing of yours ain't half bad."

"Thanks," Donatello replied as he turned off his equipment and put it away. "I'm going to go," he said. "Are you coming?"

Raphael hesitated. "Alright, but I still think it's a trap!" He then glanced over at Mikey, who was fast asleep, mumbling in his sleep. "Should we take him?"

Donnie nodded and watched as Raph shook Mikey awake.

"Wha? No ma'am, I didn't shove the Easter Bunny down the rabbit hole," Mikey said sleepily as he blinked open his eyes. "Wait, you're not Wanda Sykes!"

Donnie face palmed, wondered how Mikey knew about Wanda Sykes, and said, "Just get up. We don't have all night!"

Mikey gave him a confused look as he stood up. "What's going on?" he asked Raph.

"I'll explain later!" hissed Donnie. "But we need to go now!"

His brothers exchanged curious glances, shrugged, and followed him out into the hallway.

"Now what, brainiac?" complained Raph. "You said you were supposed to follow him."

Donnie opened his mouth to respond when a faint, see-through figure materialized in front of them.

"Leo..." Donnie breathed, his heart aching at the obvious reminder that his brother was dead.

"Shh!" Leo held a finger to his lips. "Follow me,"

Donnie nodded and hurried after his older brother, Mikey and Raph following suit.

* * *

After what seemed like forever, the turtles were lead down the hallway that Ms. Adams had told them to never go to.

"Hey, this is the hallway that Leo was trying to take me to!" cried Mikey.

Donnie spun around to face Mikey. "What?! What do you mean?!" he demanded.

"I mean that Leo tried to get me to come in here earlier today," explained Mikey.

"The same place that I kept you away from!" Donnie cried. "God, I'm an idiot!" He turned towards Leo. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't know!"

Leo gave Donnie a grim nod. "It's alright," he said. "But I'm afraid I have to leave," Leo said. "Be careful."

Donnie nodded. "I will."

Leo smiled and vanished, leaving his three younger brothers alone outside a door marked **TOP SECRET. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.**

"Well?" Raph demanded. "Are ya just gonna stand there or what?"

Donnie held up a finger to shush his brother as he rummaged through his bag and pulled out another controller. Hang on; I'm disabling the security systems."

He pressed a series of buttons before announcing, "Alrighty. We should be..." -he swung open the door- "...good!"

The room they were in was small and dark, with dozens of file cabinets everywhere. Empty vials and stray papers lay atop desks.

"And we're supposed to find what we need, how exactly?" Mikey commented.

As if answering him, a pale blue light shone on one of the filing cabinets before vanishing.

"Like that?" Raph asked.

Donnie shushed his brothers and crept over to the filing cabinet. "Keep an eye out," he instructed them as he pulled one of the drawers open and began rummaging through the files.

"Ooh, ooh! Can I say some sort of code phrase if I see someone?!" Mikey cried eagerly.

A loud smack followed by an "ow!" told Donnie that Raphael had just slapped Mikey upside the head.

"Whatever, Mikey. Just be quiet!" Donnie snapped. He angrily closed the drawer and moved on the the one below it. "Way to be specific, Leo," he grumbled under his breath as he closed that drawer and opened the next one. "What are we even looking for, anyway?"

He stopped short when a file with the words **TOP SECRET: For her eyes only!** written on it in blue ink caught his eye. Amazed, he pulled it out. It was thick, with dozens and dozens of papers in it.

"Guys? I think I've found-"

"Mayday, mayday! The pizza man is coming!" yelped Mikey.

"Damn it!" snarled Raph, glancing around them. "We're trapped in here!"

Donnie glanced upward and spotted a large vent near the ceiling. "Not entirely." In a flash, he was atop a file cabinet, using a screwdriver he had picked up in the labs to unscrew the bolts.

By now, all three brothers could hear footsteps rapidly approaching.

"Hurry it up, will you?!" hissed Mikey.

Donnie unscrewed the last bolt and removed the vent. "Got it!" He jumped down and waited as his brothers slipped in.

By now, the footsteps were closer, and Donnie knew that they didn't have much time left.

"Donnie!" whispered Raph. Donnie immediately climbed into the vent, holding the vent.

"I've just gotta put this back," he said, beginning to fix the vent. One bolt done, then two, then three, and then...

The fourth bolt dropped onto the filing cabinet.

Raphael swore so badly that Mikey had to cover his ears with his hands.

Donnie scooped up the bolt and was finished screwing it back in just as a tall, black-haired man appeared in the doorway, clutching a flashlight.

"Hmph," the man muttered before turning to leave.

* * *

The next morning, Raph shook Donnie awake. "Don?"

"Huh? What is it, Raph?" Donnie sat up, confused.

"We need to go." Raphael said. "Mikey, Alex and Ms. Adams are already waitin' for us." He extended a hand and helped Donnie to his feet.

"Thanks, Raph." Donnie said. His brother nodded and the two walked over to the cell door, where a guard was waiting for them. He beckoned for them to follow and led them towards the very same balcony that they had arrived at.

"Hey guys!" Mikey grinned, bounding over to them. "Ready to go?"

Both brothers nodded and together, the three of them headed over to stand by Alex, who was wearing the necklace around his neck.

"Remember that Alex is in charge of using the necklace, and that you are not to alter the past _except _to prevent your brother from dying." Ms. Adams told them. "Understand?"

"Yes," the four of them said in unison.

Ms. Adams smiled. "Good luck," she said.

Alex looked at the turtles and nodded.

"Ready guys?" he asked.

"Shell yeah!" cried Mikey.

"Ready," agreed Donnie.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," muttered Raph.

Alex placed his thumb on the edge of the spiral. "Hold on tight then," he instructed. All three turtle brothers grabbed hold of Alex's arms and legs while the young boy's thumb reached the diamond in the center. "Here we go!"

"Wait, you don't even know the day that Leo died!" cried Mikey, touching the necklace.

"Mikey- NO!" Donnie cried, trying to stop his brother. Then, there was a flash of bright light, and then the four were gone.

* * *

**A/N: DUN DUN DUUUN! XD Cliffy, much? Lol, I had to do that. But the question remains: Where will they end up?**

**A major thanks to everyone who has either read, followed, favorited, or reviewed this story! :') You all are so awesome! See you guys next chapter!**

**~KTNT**


	13. Blast to the Past

**A/N: _IMPORTANT NOTICE: There is a slight possibility my account will be deleted. If so, I will try and get a new one, on which I shall attempt to publish this story again. If this does occur, please be on the lookout! Thanks!_**

* * *

**Important rant over.**

**Sorry about not updating, guys! :( I had some serious writer's block. :(**

**Anyway, without further ado, I present to you...**

**Chapter 13! :D It's a bit shorter, but oh well. :P Also, if there are any really weird typos, it's because I'm writing this on my phone, and the autocorrect is REALLY annoying.. -.-**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT! I only own the plot and anyone NOT in TMNT.**

* * *

"Blast to the Past"

Bright, white light surrounded Donatello as he hurtled through time, his brothers and Alex surrounding him.

_Mikey had better not have screwed up our mission! _he thought as the light intensified, growing brighter and brighter with each passing second.

A far off scream sounded off to his left, and without warning, Donatello slammed face first into cold, hard ground.

Donnie sat up and tasted blood in his mouth. He then realized he must have bitten his tongue.

"Ugh... Where are we?" mumbled Mikey.

Donnie wearily sat up and felt a jolt of familiarity. "I-I don't believe it!" His eyes widened as he took in their surroundings. "It's the old Lair!"

Raph and Mikey echoed Donnie's amazement as they stood up and gazed around.

"Hey, look!" Miley was peering into a small hole (about the size of a strawberry) where the wall met the floor. "This is where I'd put all my vegetables when we ate them!" He held up a piece of broccoli. "Guess I discovered the hole pretty recently," he added as he put it back.

Alex stood up and brushed the dirt off of him. "You guys _lived _here?"

Raph nodded, only to pause as the sound of little feet slapping the floor began making it's way towards them.

"More like we're _living _here!" Mikey yelped, glancing around for a hiding spot.

Panic flared inside of Donatello also glanced around. "Quick, up there!" He pointed to some pipes near the ceiling.

"Good thinkin', Don," commented Raph as the turtle brothers silently jumped up, followed by Alex in the form of a small black crow.

"Yay! Now I can play v-games!" cried a young Mikey as he raced into the room.

"They're called 'video games', not 'v-games'!" pointed out a young Leonardo. "And no, you're not!"

Mikey skidded to a halt, his eyes wide with shock."W-what?! Why not?!"

"Because I said so!" Young Leonardo snapped.

The young Mikey whimpered and began to cry.

"Stop yer whinin'," snapped a young Raphael. "Ya got to play last night! It's my turn tonight!"

"No, it's not!" Leo stepped in front of the young Raph, who was heading towards the TV.

"Is too!"

"No, it's not! Splinter told us no video games for a week after we got in trouble today, remember?" Young Leo gave his hot-headed brother a fierce look.

"He ain't gonna know," scoffed Young Raph, pushing past Young Leo.

"He will if I tell him," Young Leo said, folding his arms across his plastron.

Young Raph spun around and glared at Young Leo. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me!" The two brothers glared at each other, while a young Donnie, who had stayed out of the argument, grabbed Young Mikey by the arm and stepped back several paces.

The future Donnie watched with horror-filled eyes as the past versions of the two eldest brothers began fighting, both verbally and physically.

"Bossy!" The younger version of Raph swung a small, tightly clenched green fist at Young Leo's head.

"Hot head!"

"You just think you're _so _perfect, dont'cha?"

"Maybe because I am!" Young Leo aimed a kick at the younger Raph, who easily dodged it.

Donnie cast a sideways glance at the older Raph and, in his brother's eyes saw pure horror, regret, and... guilt?

"Guys, stop it!" A young Mikey ran out towards his older brothers, who now had their training weapons out.

"Mikey, no!" The young Donnie wailed as Young Leo jabbed his wooden katana at Young Raph, who, eyes wide, dodged it, allowing the wooden blade to sink into Young Mikey's flesh.

"Oww!" Tears rapidly streamed down the younger Mikey's face, horrifying both the past and future turtles.

"See what ya did?" snarled Young Raph. "This is all yer fault!"

Young Leo stepped back, his eyes blazing with anger. "Stop blaming me! It's your fault for jumping out of the way!"

Young Raph growled. "Jerk,"

"Thats it! I'm sick and tired of you whining and being mean! I hate you! Go to hell!"

Shock flared in the younger Raph's eyes as his brother fled the room. "Leo..."

Donnie winced. This was the night that everything happened- Leo had broken his father's rule about no cussing, Mikey had earned a scar, and Raph and Leo's rivalry had just sparked into a fierce flame. He then remembered Leo telling them that he deserved death. _Could he have been remembering this exact night?_

He looked over at his brothers, who each had tears in their eyes.

"I forgot all about this night," whispered Mikey. Raph gave a nod of agreement, while Alex watched them, now back into his human form.

"Wow, guys, I-I..." Alex struggled for words. "To lose your own brother and then having to see that, I mean, just... wow."

A thick, heavy silence stretched over the four of them before Mikey quietly said, "Ready guys?"

Donnie and Raph exchanged a look and nodded. "Ready," they murmured.

Alex nodded his approval as Mikey took out the necklace and placed his finger on it. "Leo's death, here we come!"

* * *

**A/N: Well, wasn't that fun? XD Sorry about Leo's OOC-ness... I had to put that in there to help explain why he wanted death. XP**

** Oh, and for anyone out there who reads my other story, I'm still working on the chapter. :( Sorry.**

**HOLYCOWIJUSTREALIZEDMIKEYHASTHENECKLACE. STORYCHARACTERSDOSOMETHING.**


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